Philharmonic to Offer More ‘Style’

After its third outing Saturday night, the new Los Angeles Philharmonic series that tries to make regular symphony subscribers out of that elusive age 25-45 group was called an unqualified success.

Stephen Belth, director of marketing and communications for the Philharmonic Assn., is so pleased with the series that he is announcing another round of Saturday-night get-togethers--called “Philharmonic Style”--at the Museum of Contemporary Art followed by concerts and dance-and-feast parties afterward on the four upper levels of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

For 1991-92, the new “Philharmonic Style” dates will be Dec. 7, March 7 and May 16.

All three of the inaugural season’s events were sellouts, Belth said, although at Saturday’s closer, an extra 200 seats became available at the last minute when group buyers released them. Instead of 3,000-plus in attendance, as had been the case Feb. 9 and March 30, only 2,900-plus heard the final concert.

Saturday night’s post-concert event was called a Big Band Blowout and had the patrons dancing to music by Pat Longo’s Superband.

Next year, the format--intended to draw younger people who aren’t regular concert-goers--will remain the same, Belth promised: Appetizers from Stepps restaurant at MOCA--where the latest MOCA exhibits will be on view--a full concert experience in the Pavilion, and dancing to live bands, plus much food to munch on, provided by Pavilion Caterers, until the wee hours.

In addition, Belth said, “We are working on different kinds of post-concert events in connection with our other series, like a New Year’s Eve party, for instance. The Pavilion is a wonderful party place, and our other subscribers ought to get the chance to enjoy it too.”

But the important thing about “Philharmonic Style,” he concluded, is that “it is bringing to the Music Center a lot of new faces who haven’t been here before.”